Many of us don’t like the “two-party system”, some because we don’t like choosing between Tweedledee and Tweedledum, some because we can’t stand one party and feel compelled to vote for the other party.
I’ve long thought that instead of partisan primaries we should have wide open primaries, where all candidates are on the first ballot. The top two vote getters are on the ballot for the general election. I know, there are lots of problems with that, including the top two together having less than half the vote. But it sure beats having party conventions and then having, like in Minnesota, someone who didn’t succeed in the party convention winning in the primary becoming the party’s “candidate” in a “party” primary.
Help may be on the way. Several groups have come together to form EndPartisanship.
The statement that really resonates with me is:
Principle: Every elected representative’s first obligation should be to people - not political parties.
Remember also that many of those who signed the Constitution were concerned with factionalism. Unfortunately, many went on to be very partisan. How long did it take for Jefferson and Adams to make up and become friends?
